The Forest Society

THE FOREST SOCIETY &
COLONIALISM
By Group 1
Contents of this presentation
 The forest society
 Deforestation and the need for land
 Context of railways
 plantations
 People of Bastar
The forest society
 In the British period, the government thought that the farmers are destroying the forest
for agriculture.
 To put a restriction on the farmer's use of the forest, the Britishers made several laws.
 Also, they formed a society to supervise all the laws and their execution, which was
named the forest society.
Deforestation
 Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land.
 Throughout history and into modern times, forests have been razed to make space for
agriculture and animal grazing, and to obtain wood for fuel, manufacturing, and
construction.
The need for land
 As population increased over the centuries the demand for food went up, peasants extended the boundaries of
civilization, clearing forests and breaking new land.
 Cultivation expanded rapidly for variety of seasons
 In the early nineteenth century, the colonial state though that forest were unproductive They were wilderness that
had to be brought under cultivation so that the land could yield agricultural products and revenue and enhance the
income of the state.
 Between 1880 and 1920, cultivated area rose by 6.7 million hectares.
SLEEPERS ON THE TRACKS
By the early 19th century. Oak forests in England were disappearing. This created a problem of
timber supply for the Royal Navy. Due to this English ships could not be built. After that the
British started exporting timber from India. Within a decade trees were being felled on a massive
scale a vast quantities of timber were being exported from India
SLEEPERS ON THE TRACKS
 The spread of railways from the 1850's created a new demand. Railways were essential for colonial trade
and for the movement of imperial troops.
 To run locomotives, wood was needed as fuel, and to lay railway lines sleepers were essential to hold the
tracks together. Each mile of railway track required between 1760 and 2000 sleepers
 the govt gave out contracts to individuals to supply the required quantities
 contractors began cutting trees indiscriminately. Forests around the railway tracks fast started
disappearing
Steps
Dietrich initiated many new steps in India
I. Indian Forest Service was set up in 1864.

II. Indian Forest Act was enacted in 1865
III. Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up in 1906.
PLANTATIONS
Large areas of natural forests were also cleared to make way for tea, coffee, and
rubber plantations to meet Europe's growing needs of these commodities. The
colonial govt. took over the forests and gave vast areas to European planters at
cheap rates. These areas were enclosed and cleared of forests, and planted with
tea or coffee
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by
Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, infographics &
images by Freepik
REBELLION IN THE FOREST
 In many parts of India, and across the world, forest communities rebelled against the
changes that were being imposed on them. The leaders of these movements are still
remembered in songs and stories.
 We will now discuss in detail one such rebellion which took place in the kingdom of
Baster in 1910.
PEOPLE OF BASTAR
 BASTAR is in the southernmost part of Chhattisgarh and borders Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra.
 Several communities live in Bastar such as Maria and Muria gonds, Dhurvas, Bhatras and Halbas.
 The people of Bastar believe that each village was given its land by the Earth, and in return, they look after the
Earth by making some offerings at each agricultural festival. In addition to the Earth, they show respect to the
spirits of the river, the forest and the mountain.
THE FEARS OF THE PEOPLE
 When the colonial govt. made up laws for the forests, the people of Bastar were very worried.
 People began to gather and discuss these issues in their village councils, in bazaars and at festivals or
whatever the headmen and priests of several villages were assembled.
 The initiative was taken by the Dhurvas of the Kangar forest, where reservation first took place
 Although there was no single leader, many people speak of Gunda Dhur, from village
Nethanar as an important figure in the movement.
 In 1910, mango boughs, a lump of earth, chilies and arrows, began circulating
between villages. These were actually messages inviting villagers to rebel against the
British.
 The British sent troops to suppress the rebellion. They punished those who
participated in the rebellion.
Credits to the group 1
Presentation by:
Krishna Batra
Information by:
Kriti Kalra
Abdullah musaib
Meenakshi Mahesh Thank you
Abhignya R
Jasmitha V Shinde
Dhanush M
Bushra Erem
BR Tejasram
Meet Jain

The Forest Society

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Forest Society

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Forest Society

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE FOREST SOCIETY &

 Cultivation expanded rapidly for variety of seasons

I. Indian Forest Service was set up in 1864.

You might also like